AROUND THE NFL

Bill Parcells wasted little time trying to solve the New York Jets’ kicking problems.

Parcells, upset with John Hall after a dismal performance Thursday night against the Giants, acquired Brett Conway from Green Bay on Friday for an undisclosed draft choice.

“You’ve got to see if there’s an avenue that’s going to improve it,” Parcells said. “You can’t do that and lose three or four games. I can’t take that kind of performance.”

On Thursday night, Hall missed a 37-yard field goal, also failed on an extra-point attempt, and came up short on his first two kickoffs.

“That’s not just a couple of things going wrong, that’s everything going wrong,” Parcells said. “It’s hard to sit on the sideline and see it. When you see those kinds of signs, it worries you.”

Conway, a former Penn State star selected in the third round of the 1997 draft, missed three of five exhibition attempts last year. He spent the season on injured reserve because of a torn thigh muscle in his kicking leg.

“It’s a question of my having to satisfy my own curiosity about Conway,” Parcells said. “I want the opportunity to do it now.”

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The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly are thinking about taking a chance on Lawrence Phillips.

The Chiefs have made initial contact with a representative of Phillips, according to the Kansas City Star. The troubled former Nebraska back was released by the St. Louis Rams and the Miami Dolphins.

Coach Marty Schottenheimer said he had not decided whether to have Phillips come in for a workout. The Chiefs will play host to Jacksonville in an exhibition game today.

“I have no plans to talk to him as we speak,” Schottenheimer said. “Nothing will happen until we get back to Kansas City.”

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Craig “Ironhead” Heyward wants out from the St. Louis Rams.

For one thing, the running back doesn’t like Coach Dick Vermeil’s hard practices or what Heyward says is the coach’s inability to relate to veteran players.

A weight problem may be a reason Heyward is a no show this summer.

Before training camp, Vermeil told him to arrive at 260 pounds or don’t show up. Heyward reportedly weighed close to 300 pounds at a minicamp in June.

“I do not want to play or work for that man again,” Heyward told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Heyward is in the second year of a four-year, $4.5-million contract. The team is fining him $5,000 per day. So far, he’s accumulated fines totaling $135,000.

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Linebacker Steve Tovar, the heart of the Cincinnati Bengal defense until he tore up a knee, was released as the team took another step in its youth movement.

Tovar, 28, was the team’s leading tackler in 1994-95 and was the team leader again when he tore two ligaments in his left knee in 1996. He was hobbled last season, when he lost his starting job, and was unable to move out of a backup role in training camp.

The Bengals also reached an injury settlement with safety Lawrence Wright and released him.

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Anthony Smith, the defensive end who signed with the Denver Broncos last month after eight seasons with the Oakland Raiders, retired.

Smith, a No. 1 draft choice of the Raiders in 1990, had 54 1/2 sacks, five fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles in his career. Last year, he played 13 games and had 6 1/2 sacks.

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Defensive tackle Tim Bowens ended his holdout with the Miami Dolphins, getting his entire $2.88-million salary in a lump sum before reporting for conditioning drills.

Bowens, who missed the first four weeks of camp, signed the tender offer shortly after teammates completed their final workout before traveling to play San Francisco on Sunday.

Bowens, designated Miami’s “franchise” player, opted to play this season for the tender amount while continuing to work on a long-term deal.

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The only thing remarkable about the day Red McCombs officially bought the Minnesota Vikings was that it passed quietly and without fanfare.

The boisterous billionaire was 1,100 miles away in San Antonio when his point man, Gary Woods, closed the $250-million purchase.

But new ownership did bring about one change: the resignation of team president Roger Headrick.

“Basically it was an option to either step down gracefully, so to speak, or have them essentially terminate me,” Headrick said. “I said I wanted to think about the way I wanted to handle it or see it handled overnight, and we spoke again [Friday] and I said I will do what they feel is the most graceful thing to do, and that is to resign.”

Other changes are on the way, but they probably will wait.

“First thing is we have a business to run,” McCombs said. “Obviously we have some thought of our own management style and personnel.”

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The Fox television network is reportedly getting a hefty $1.6 million for a 30-second commercial on the 1999 Super Bowl, a 23% increase from this year’s game on NBC.

Fox has been citing that price to executives who buy commercial time and appears to be getting it, ad buyer Bill Croasdale of Western International said.

If Fox can maintain the $1.6-million price average, it would be a 23% increase over the record $1.3 million that NBC got for the last Super Bowl. That price had been up 8.3% from the previous Super Bowl telecast.

EXHIBITION GAME / Bills Get Back on Track

Rob Johnson and the Buffalo Bills found a quick cure for their offensive woes: the Chicago Bear defense.

Johnson passed for two touchdowns and the Bills’ offensive line finally showed some life Friday as Buffalo beat the Bears, 17-9, at Chicago.

Trying to adjust to a new, more conservative scheme, Buffalo’s offense struggled in its first two games. But the Bills looked sharp from the start against the Bears, giving Johnson good protection.

Johnson completed 10 of 13 passes for 62 yards and also rushed for 26 yards. Jonathon Linton led the Bills in rushing with 55 yards in seven carries.

Backup quarterback Doug Flutie looked good also, completing six of seven passes for 49 yards.

Bear Coach Dave Wannstedt left his starters in until late in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t do much good. Chicago’s No. 1 offense continued its anemic play, gaining only 93 yards rushing. The first group did finally manage a touchdown with Bam Morris’ two-yard run early in the fourth quarter that cut Buffalo’s lead to 14-9.